The NRF Foundation has released a "List of People Shaping Retail's Future" ahead of its inaugural gala this weekend in New York. The list of 25 individuals is broken out into five groups: disruptors, givers, influencers, dreamers and power players. Among the most interesting are the disruptors, described by the NRF Foundation as "people who make you rethink what you thought you knew about retail, opening you up to new possibilities for your customers, your business and your world."
Two of the people included on the list, Adam Brotman, chief digital officer at Starbucks, and Jeffrey Sears, co-founder and CEO of the home improvement retailer PIRCH, show that company size is not necessarily a predictor of an organization's ability to innovate.
Mr. Brotman, according to the NRF Foundation, is changing how Starbucks' customers interact with the company through the development and deployment of apps and other innovations. The report points to the Starbucks card, mobile payments, e-commerce and other advancements under Mr. Brotman that have established the coffee company "as a leader in the technology space."
Starbucks' mobile payment app is often cited as a success under Mr. Brotman. Last year, about 15 percent of the chain's total transactions were made by customers using the app, up from 10 percent in 2013. This year, the chain plans a nationwide rollout of its "Mobile Order and Pay" service.
While perhaps not as well known in retailing circles, the case for Mr. Sears as a disruptor can be easily made. According to NRF, shoppers visiting a PIRCH location "quickly realize that they are not in a typical home improvement store."
The San Diego-based luxury appliance retailer is known for creating showrooms where customers are encouraged to try out products before buying them. Today, PIRCH has seven stores with locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego and other towns in California. The company plans to open a new location in New Jersey this spring.